Jeff Forman/JForman@News-Herald.com
Jarrett Jack drives to the basket between Norris Cole and LeBron James in the fourth quarter of the Cavaliers' 100-96 loss to the Heat March 18 at Quicken Loans Arena.

Perhaps lost in the hoopla of LeBron James’ 43-point effort, Cavaliers shooting guard Dion Waiters made the most of his first starting assignment since Nov. 13.
Waiters recorded his first career double-double with 17 points, four rebounds and a career-high 11 assists in the short-handed Cavs’ 100-96 loss to the two-time defending champion Miami Heat on March 18 at Quicken Loans Arena.

Waiters said he doesn’t plan to do anything differently now that he has replaced the injured Kyrie Irving in the starting lineup.
“I’ll have the same mindset I had coming off the bench,” he said. “Go in there and kill.”
Cavs coach Mike Brown turned to Waiters with Irving sidelined at least the next two weeks with a strained ligament in his left biceps.
“He deserves the right to start,” Brown said.
Brown said he wanted Waiters to do the same things he did when he served as the team’s sixth man.
“(He needs to) run the floor, run to the corners, rebound,” he said. “He has good size and athleticism. Keep attacking. (We’ll) keep the ball in his hands as much as possible. It’s going to be tough because he’s going against starting guys who can go for 30 at any time.”
Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade was given the night off, but James more than picked up the slack.
He was shooting the ball at an unbelievable level for much of the night. It started with a dazzling 25-point first quarter when he converted 10 of 11 shots from the field, 5 of 6 from the 3-point line.
“It was one of those zones,” James said. “It’s a great feeling. Sometimes you’re able to realize you have it going, and you play it by ear.
“I felt a good rhythm. I shot the ball well in warmups and was able to carry over into the game.”
The former Cavs forward was 14 of 19 from the field in the game, as well as 6 of 8 from the 3-point line. He made 9 of 13 free throws.
Brown said he didn’t care how many points James had, as long as his team won the game.
“He got out in transition early in the game,” Brown said. “We didn’t do a good job of sticking to our rules. I didn’t care if he scored 70 if we had a chance to win. I was OK once we started to play the right way against them.”
After his electric first quarter, he made 4 of 8 shots from the field for 18 points.
“LeBron was hot early,” Brown said. “We did a better job of slowing him down in the second half.”
He was just 2 of 3 from the field after halftime.
James is now 13-1 vs. the Cavs since he left in 2010, including 10 wins in a row.
“On the road, we can’t wait around,” James said. “We have to start out with some energy.”
The Cavs (26-42) dropped six games behind No. 8 Atlanta (31-35) for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. The Cavs have 14 games remaining.
The Cavs shot 51.4 percent from the field and outrebounded the Heat, 41-36. However, they committed 20 turnovers, which led to 26 Miami points.
“It’s tough to overcome,” Brown said.
It was Brown’s decision to yank Waiters out of the starting lineup after nine games and make him the team’s sixth man. Waiters and Irving do many of the same things, and both need the ball in their hands to be effective.
On a night the Cavs were missing their top two scorers in Irving and forward Luol Deng (sprained left ankle), they had six players in double figures.
Point guard Jarrett Jack paced the Cavs with a season-high 22 points and four assists. He was 4 of 6 from behind the arc.
Center Anderson Varejao had 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds off the bench.
All-Star Chris Bosh scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter for the Heat (46-19).
Guard Ray Allen added 14 points for Miami, which had lost five of its last seven coming into the game.
For the Cavs, forward Alonzo Gee had 12 points and center Spencer Hawes added 11 points and nine rebounds.
The teams were tied at 79 after three quarters.
The Cavs trailed by five points, 95-90, with 28.9 seconds left when Waiters attacked the basket. James was credited with a blocked shot on the play, but Waiters was knocked senseless under the basket.
“I believe I was fouled,” he said.
Cavs majority owner Dan Gilbert wasn’t happy with the non-call.
“That is beyond incredible,” he tweeted. “What a complete and total joke.”
Brown said he didn’t ask for an explanation from the officials.
“As a coach, you get tired of complaining about calls,” he said. “Officials are human. I didn’t ask for an explanation. Until you become the Miami Heat, you might get some calls down the stretch. We have to find a better way of closing out games.”

About the Author

Bob has covered the Cavs for The News-Herald and Morning Journal since 1995. He's a graduate of Kent State University and New Philadelphia High School. Reach the author at rfinnan@news-herald.com
or follow Bob on Twitter: @BobCavsinsider.